HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Just want to wish every one a HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

March Madness at CCFA

Here is our March 2016 Newsletter at CCFA Letter from our President & CEO At CCFA, we have our own "March Madness"—the ideal time to get involved in one of our signature fundraising programs: Take Steps or Team Challenge. This year's Take Steps calendar is up and running, offering more than 120 walks across the country. And for those of you looking for something a little more "challenging," check out the Team Challenge Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon (and 5K) or Bass Lake Classic Triathlon. Finally, we are asking everyone to help us Turn Facebook Orange this month to raise awareness for CCFA and all of the critical support services we offer. Click here for the social assets you'll need. Thanks so much! Michael Osso President & CEO Love, Running, & Ulcerative Colitis Katie and Mike been together through the ups and downs of ulcerative colitis, and they've also been part of the Team Challenge family for almost five years. As Katie says, "Team Challenge introduced me into a whole new world filled with people just like me. We talk openly about our disease without fear, knowing that everyone gets it. It's a support group I never knew existed. It's a family." Read more about Katie and Mike. READ MORE ► March is Colonrectal Cancer (CRC) Prevention Month Now is a great time to review your risk for CRC with your healthcare provider. People with ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease involving the colon, are at an increased risk of developing CRC. However, it is important to note that CRC is preventable and highly treatable in the early stages. Before CRC develops, precancerous tissue can be seen and removed, thereby reducing the risk of that tissue progressing to cancer. Thus, regular screenings and early detection are crucial. To learn more, check out our Colorectal Cancer Fact Sheet, and contact the IBD Help Center at info@ccfa.org for further information on prevention. READ MORE ► New Take Steps Event Experiences! The full 2016 Take Steps walk calendar is ready! With more than 120 walks across the country, there's sure to be an event near you. And this year, we're making sure your experience is more memorable than ever—with new IBD-friendly foods, specific patient recognition, the opportunity to sign our Wall of Hope for yourself or your loved one, new fundraising incentives, and more! Gather your friends, family, and co-workers, register your team, and start fundraising today! Click here to find a walk near you. READ MORE ► Join the Friends with Guts For as little as $5 a month, you'll help sustain critical IBD research—including our Microbiome, Genetics, & Pediatric Initiatives—and get access to exclusive member benefits. Take Charge of Your IBD I'll Be Determined helps you take a closer look at how you are living with IBD. Through video-based tutorials, interactive games, and quizzes, you can explore your disease management options. READ MORE ► Check Out CCFA Partners CCFA Partners are citizen scientists—active, informed, and empowered participants in their medical care. They work with IBD scientists to better understand urgent issues affecting patients and help set the research agenda. Join today by filling out a survey that asks about your disease and quality of life. JOIN TODAY ► Consider Camp Oasis This Summer With summer just around the corner, consider signing up for Camp Oasis—CCFA's co-ed residential summer camp program that enriches the lives of children with IBD by providing them with a safe, fun, and supportive community. SIGN UP ► CCFA provides a comprehensive database of studies, clinical trials and other research on Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Deciding whether to participate in a clinical trial is an important personal decision, best made with a full understanding of the drug development process and a participant's role. CCFA Facebook CCFA Twitter CCFA YouTube CCFA Pinterest Forward Donate to CCFA 7​33 Th​ird Av​en​ue, Sui​te 51​0, Ne​w Y​ork,​ N​Y 10​01​7 www.ccfa.org | 8​00-​93​2-​2​423 Talk with an I​BD Info​rmation Specialist at 88​8.M​y.Gu​t.P​ain | 8​88-​69​4-8​87​2

My Personal Space

The Weekend has ended starting a New Week with these words of wisdom Read: Luke 8:40-48 Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 23-25; Mark 14:1-26 We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses. —Hebrews 4:15 An industrial design graduate from a Singapore university was challenged in a workshop to come up with a novel solution to a common problem using only ordinary objects. She created a vest to protect one’s personal space from being invaded while traveling in the crush of crowded public trains and buses. The vest was covered with long, flexible plastic spikes normally used to keep birds and cats away from plants. Jesus knew what it was like to lose His personal space in the commotion of crowds desperate to see and touch Him. A woman who had suffered from constant bleeding for 12 years and could find no cure touched the fringe of His robe. Immediately, her bleeding stopped (Luke 8:43-44). Jesus’ question, “Who touched me?” (v. 45) isn’t as strange as it sounds. He felt power come out of Him (v. 46). That touch was different from those who merely happened to accidentally touch Him. While we must admit that we do sometimes wish to keep our personal space and privacy, the only way we help a world of hurting people is to let them get close enough to be touched by the encouragement, comfort, and grace of Christ in us. —C. P. Hia Lord Jesus, I want to be near You and know You so that when I’m in contact with others they can see You through me. A Christian’s life is the window through which others can see Jesus. INSIGHT: Luke recounts several miracles in quick succession. First, Jesus calms a storm while out in a boat on the sea (Luke 8:22-25). Then when the boat reaches the other side of the sea, Jesus heals a man possessed by demons (vv. 26-39). Finally, Luke records that while going to heal the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader, Jesus heals a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for years (vv. 40-48). In the end, Jesus brings Jairus’s daughter back to life (vv. 48-56). This series of miracles shows that nothing—nature, spirits, health, even life and death—is outside of Jesus’s power and authority.

Don’t Quit!

YES! The week has come to an end it's Friday I leave you with these words of wisdom to help us reflect on ALL that has transpire through out this week Read: Hebrews 12:1-11 Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 14-16; Mark 12:28-44 Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. —Hebrews 12:1-2 In 1952 Florence Chadwick attempted to swim 26 miles from the coast of California to Catalina Island. After 15 hours, a heavy fog began to block her view, she became disoriented, and she gave up. To her chagrin, Chadwick learned that she had quit just 1 mile short of her destination. Two months later Chadwick tried a second time to swim to Catalina Island from the coast. Again a thick fog settled in, but this time she reached her destination, becoming the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. Chadwick said she kept an image of the shoreline in her mind even when she couldn’t see it. When the problems of life cloud our vision, we have an opportunity to learn to see our goal with the eyes of faith. The New Testament letter to the Hebrews urges us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (12:1-2). When we feel like quitting, this is our signal to remember not only what Jesus suffered for us but what He now helps us to endure—until the day we see Him face to face. —Dennis Fisher Dear Father, sometimes the challenges of life seem insurmountable. Help me to fix my eyes on You and trust You. I’m thankful You are bringing about Your good purposes in me. We can finish strong when we focus on Christ. INSIGHT: Using the metaphor of a marathon and a stadium of cheering supporters, the writer of Hebrews encouraged persecuted Christians to persevere and to remain faithful. The constant call of Scripture is: Don’t give up! Keep your eye on the finish line! Finish the race! (1 Cor. 9:24-27; Phil. 3:13-14; 2 Tim. 4:7; Heb. 12:1-2).

Celebrating International Women's Day

On this day March 8th we are taken the time to Honor and Celebrate International Women's Day. Here is a Poem to Celebrate this day.

With Respect

Starting the New Week off with these words of wisdom Read: Ezra 5:6-17 Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 3-4; Mark 10:32-52 If it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus . . . issue[d] a decree. —Ezra 5:17 The citizens of Israel were having some trouble with the government. It was the late 500s bc, and the Jewish people were eager to complete their temple that had been destroyed in 586 bc by Babylon. However, the governor of their region was not sure they should be doing that, so he sent a note to King Darius (Ezra 5:6-17). In the letter, the governor says he found the Jews working on the temple and asks the king if they had permission to do so. The letter also records the Jews’ respectful response that they had indeed been given permission by an earlier king (Cyrus) to rebuild. When the king checked out their story, he found it to be true: King Cyrus had said they could build the temple. So Darius not only gave them permission to rebuild, but he also paid for it! (see 6:1-12). After the Jews finished building the temple, they “celebrated with joy” because they knew God had “[changed] the attitude of the king” (6:22). When we see a situation that needs to be addressed, we honor God when we plead our case in a respectful way, trust that He is in control of every situation, and express gratitude for the outcome. —Dave Branon Lord, help us to respond respectfully to situations around us. We need Your wisdom for this. May we always honor, trust, and praise You. Respect for authority brings glory to God.

For His Time

The week has come to an end in this 3rd month of the New Year that we have entered into WOW! Time is moving fast BUT let's STOP and take a minute to reflect on these words of wisdom Read: James 1:2-4 Bible in a Year: Numbers 31-33; Mark 9:1-29 My times are in your hands. —Psalm 31:15 When South African pastor Andrew Murray was visiting England in 1895, he began to suffer pain from a previous back injury. While he was recuperating, his hostess told him of a woman who was in great trouble and wanted to know if he had any counsel for her. Murray said, “Give her this paper which I have been writing for my own [encouragement]. It may be that she will find it helpful.” This is what Murray wrote: “In time of trouble say: First—God brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place. In that I will rest. Next—He will keep me in His love and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child. Then—He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow. Last—In His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows. I am here—by God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, for His time.” We want the instant solution, the quick fix, but some things cannot be disposed of so readily; they can only be accepted. God will keep us by His love. By His grace, we can rest in Him. —David Roper Dear Lord, it’s hard to endure times of illness and suffering. Comfort me and help me to trust You. When God permits suffering, He also provides comfort. INSIGHT: James saw himself as a servant of Christ (James 1:1), even though he was Christ’s half-brother (Matt. 13:55). He did not come to faith until after Jesus’s resurrection (John 7:3-5; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:7) and eventually became a leader in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:13). In writing this letter to Jewish believers who had been scattered because of persecution, he focuses on Jewish thinking and values: It is highly practical, intensely candid, and wisdom-oriented. Because of its practical application, it has been referred to as the “Proverbs” of the New Testament.